Friday, January 21, 2011 – Tenecatita

Coming into Tenecatita, no fish, but there were porpoises and whales which were entertainment enough. We anchored in the bay which is a lovely large anchorage, about 20 miles north of Barra. There were a number of boats already there when we arrived and more came. I think there were more than 20 when the sun went down, but the anchorage could easily hold twice that number.

Sharon and I went kayaking. It was Sharon’s first try and she did very well. We beached the boats and took a walk, and when the time came to go back out through the surf, it was not Sharon who capsized. I’ll have to take lessons from her.

After a super peaceful night, Earl was itching to go on Thursday morning. We talked him into staying put for most of the morning, but then he needed to move. We headed off for Paraiso, with a short stop in a portion of Tenecatita called the Aquarium for lunch. On the way out of the bay, there were several humpback whales feeding on the surface. We got close and it was a thrill.

It was about 20 miles to Paraiso and the wind came up and with it some swell. It was a bouncy trip. The whole afternoon of fishing produced one very small bonita which I will make into ceviche. By the time we got to Paraiso it was really too late to play in the water. It turned out to be a poor choice for an overnight anchorage. Even with the stabilizer out, we rolled all night, and Earl spent a large part of it keeping anchor watch. Dale and Sharon were good sports but I don’t think it was the best time they ever had.

This morning, even before sunrise, Earl had the anchor up and we were underway. Once the stabilizers were engaged, the going was nice and we had a much pleasanter ride than before. We made our way back to Tenecatita and finally we caught some fish. Unfortunately from a dinner standpoint, they were jack crevalles instead of dorado. This fish is known for putting up a significant fight and never breaking water with jumps. As one guide book put it “few fish are tougher or less spectacular”. Whatever, they were enough to exhaust three of us. They are not particularly good eating, so we let them go.

Now we are enjoying a peaceful afternoon at anchor. Earl is making up for his lack of sleep – and I think Daisy and I will go join him.